Amnesty International has urged Algeria to release imprisoned journalist Ihsane El Kadi immediately.
The prominent journalist is accused of illegally receiving money from people and organizations “in exchange for carrying out activities that could harm state security”. Amnesty said the accusations against the journalist were “trumped-up state security-related offenses” and condemned what it called a “ruthless campaign to silence critics”.
“El Kadi’s unjustified detention by Algerian authorities is a grave injustice exacerbated by a violation of his right to a fair trial,” Amnesty said. The journalist was remanded in custody on December 29, just days after being detained.
A judge renewed his detention in pre-trial detention on Sunday. Amnesty said no lawyers from his defense team were present at that time to challenge the lawfulness of his imprisonment.